Strangeways

Strangeways, Here You Come

A New Temple of Beer on Fitzhugh

A new bar opens. It has beer. It has a patio. It has air-conditioning. Also: it is inspired by the Smiths.

Yeah, we didn’t think it would sound familiar.

So welcome to Strangeways, a new hidden temple of beer on Fitzhugh,now open.

Warning: this isn’t the kind of place the Smiths would’ve written a song about. It looks like an abandoned brick warehouse that’s been marinating in the Texas sun for 50 years. And its sign is one gentle breeze away from toppling over.

On the inside, it feels more like the Loon’s edgier cousin—brick walls, exposed beams and a garage door covered in graffiti, hanging like a painting on the wall. If you’re here with a date after a wine-fueled dinner at RedFork next door, settle into a corner booth for a lengthy discussion of Morrissey’s solo career.

But most times, you’re coming here for the beer. You’ll saddle up at the concrete bar and face a big decision: tap beer (say, Piraat, a Belgian IPA from the 17th century) or bottled beer (like the ultra-potent BrewDog Tokyo). You may, of course, also choose both. But music-wise, your only option is one of their playlists inspired by the Smiths.